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Butternut squash

What is butternut squash? About the ingredient butternut squash. Including 153 recipes with butternut squash, nutrition data, and where to find it.

About

Butternut squash, also known in Australia and New Zealand as Butternut pumpkin, is a type of winter squash. It has a sweet, nutty taste similar to that of a pumpkin. It has yellow skin and orange fleshy pulp. When ripe, it turns increasingly deep orange, and becomes sweeter and richer.

Uses

Butternut squash is a fruit that can be roasted and toasted and also be puréed (to make a soup) or mashed into soups, casseroles, breads, and muffins.

In Australia it is regarded as a pumpkin, and used interchangeably with other types of pumpkin.

It is also commonly used in South Africa. It is often used in soup or can be cooked on a grill.

Grilled butternut is normally either spiced with spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon or the de-seeded centre stuffed with other vegetables, for example Spinach and Feta before wrapped in foil and then grilled. The grilled butternut is often served as a side dish to “braai's” (barbecues) and the soup as a starter dish.

Preparation

The fruit is prepared by removing the skin, stalk and seeds, which are not usually eaten or cooked.

However, the seeds are edible, either raw or roasted and the skin is also edible and softens when roasted. One of the most common ways to prepare butternut squash is roasting. To do this, the squash is cut in half lengthwise, lightly brushed with cooking oil, and placed cut side down on a baking sheet. It is then baked for 45 minutes or until it is softened. Once roasted, it can be eaten in a variety of ways as outlined above.